A Kid's Game
by randomguy0607
Summary: When the organization known as "N.O.W.H.E.R.E" starts abducting meta-human teens, it is up to Tim Drake to assemble a new Teen Titans team to take on the threat. But can Tim manage to find the new recruits for his team in time? My take on the New 52 Teen Titans.
1. Smells Like Teen Spirit

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. They are all DC's.

Summary: This takes place post-reboot. This is just my version of how the team got together. I'm still using some stuff that DC has already established (i.e. N.O.W.H.E.R.E), but eventually the story changes.

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><p><strong>Teen Titans- A Kid's Game<strong>

Chapter 1: Smells Like Teen Spirit

Tim Drake stared into the computer screen with a determined look. His eyes flickered as he scrolled through the text, hacking his way into the N.O.W.H.E.R.E system. He knew something was going on, with all the meta-human teens being kidnapped. He knew it wasn't a coincidence. He knew it had to be N.O.W.H.E.R.E. Tim received an anonymous tip just a few days ago, leading him to the organization known as N.O.W.H.E.R.E. Tim looked around his apartment, being wary of his surroundings. The room was basically empty; nothing but a television set, a computer, and a bed. A suitcase sat in the corner next to the balcony, which was 10 floors above the ground. His Red Robin costume laid on his bed, with wings spread out over it. It was obvious this wasn't a permanent home for the young hero.

Tim looked at the TV to see news reports of teens who had been abducted. Tim, being who he is, had been investigating into it. No traces were found, very clean, no messes. This was professional and he knew it. His eyes darted towards the computer screen once again. Encrypted files and complex algorithms filled his screen. Tim had been working on this for hours with no luck up until this point. Finally, the screen went blank, only for the words: Access Granted. "Alright, let's see what we got here" he murmured to himself. Searching for the right file proved to be difficult, as this wasn't just a simple hack into the system. He had to maneuver his way through their operating system, making sure he found the right place to look. He stumbled upon many files, one labeled "Project S" and another "Operation: Crisis." He skimmed through, but none were the right file.

Finally finding the file, Tim widened his eyes as he read the title. "Operation: Harvest" he whispered to himself. He clicked the link, too engrossed in his search that he didn't even notice the footsteps coming up the stairs outside of his room. The loading time seemed longer than it should have, which made Tim suspicious. Being pulled out of the computer to wait for the load, Tim's senses were more aware of the fact that there were footsteps coming from the hallway outside the apartment. He made a quick glare at the door, being wary of what was happening outside. Then, a small 'ping' came from the computer, quickly calling his attention away from the door. He read the big bold letters that he feared would pop up on the screen. "SYSTEM COMPROMISED".

"That doesn't sound too good." he said as the bold red letters flashed his screen. His eyes darted quickly to the door as the sounds got louder and the voices seemed to be right behind his apartment door. Tim rushed to the bed to get his collapsible bo staff, knowing exactly what was waiting for him behind the door.

With a sudden crash, the door slammed to the ground as a squad of N.O.W.H.E.R.E agents rushed in, aiming their guns right at the young hero's head. Tim observed the enemies closely. He saw that they were wearing Kevlar weaved body suits labeled with "N.O.W.H.E.R.E", with a protective facemask that hid their identities. The facemasks were blue with red eyes, with each having a different number associating with the different members of the squad. One of the members raised their wrist to their mouth.

"This is six. We got him."

"Not for long" Tim said calmly as he raised his right hand in the air.

"Take him!" one of the squad members shouted.

Just as the squad members were about to pull the triggers to their weapons, the young hero threw a smoke pellet to the ground, disorienting the foes. With a flourish of his hand, Tim expanded the bo staff to full length, swiping the first enemy off of his feet. He side-stepped the next, just to elbow him in the face, as the others were still disoriented by the smoke pellet. One of them regained their stature, aiming his gun in Tim's direction. With a flick of his staff, Tim hit the bottom of the barrel, which sent the gun aiming upward as the shots fired into the ceiling. He quickly spun around to hit the foe in the jaw with his staff, as he grabbed a bat-like shape out of his pocket. The last agent remaining readied his weapon, but it was too late; the batarang went sailing across the room, directly into the agent's forehead.

Once the smoke had cleared, Tim searched the bodies of the fallen foes, knowing he had a very small window to find a lead on what this organization was up to. He rummaged through what the squad members had on them, but nothing was anything of importance. Tim then squatted down next to the man who had the number 6 on his mask. He removed it from the unconscious enemy to check for anything that would help him. Tim studied the front of the mask, noticing the red tinted eye slits. He flipped the mask over to reveal a computer based, operating system shown through the eye slits.

"There has to be some sort of computer chip to access."

Tim slid his finger across the edge of the mask. He felt an elevated ridge on the right side of the mask. The chipped popped up when Tim ran his finger across it again. He knew this would be the key that would help him gain access to the file he wanted and, most importantly, needed. Tim hurried to his computer, slid in the chip, and started to hack his way in. He knew he had to hurry, for the gut feeling he had said that his attackers had friends. "Alright, let's try this again," he turned his head toward the computer screen. Again, long algorithms and encrypted code crept across his screen, dancing in an elegant way that only Tim knew. Although not the best hacker in the world, he could manage on his own, as he was trained by the best.

The stomps of military grade boots marched up the stairs as Tim was hard at work on hacking the chip. 'They're hunting down kids, right? As long as I see the list of people they're after, I can finish this', he thought to himself as the footsteps got progressively louder. As the computer hacked away at the chip, Tim rushed toward the bed to grab his gear, for which he knew he would have need any minute now. He strapped on his wings and threw on his mask, frequently darting his eyes to the computer and then the doorway. The hack was creeping towards success as the other agents marched up the stairs of the apartment building.

The hack had been successful, pulling up a menu of the downed agent's next targets. He rushed to the computer and took a quick look at the first name he saw on the list.

"Alright, what do we've have here… Cassandra Sandsmark aka Wonder Girl. Wait, I've met her before…Let's see… location, location…" Tim silently said to himself as he heard the footsteps now, just a floor away from his position.

"San Francisco. Alright, see you soon Wonder Girl," he said as the troops ran upstairs. Tim quickly grabbed his suitcase, as he pressed a button, which activated a timer on the suitcase.

He slid the suitcase toward the doorway as the N.O.W.H.E.R.E agents trudge through the halls, and darted toward the doorway of Tim Drake's apartment. Tim could hear the sounds of the agents yelling as he ran towards the balcony. He ran as fast as he could, knowing he placed a short timer on the suitcase bomb. As he was about to jump, he placed his right foot on the railing of the balcony, pushing himself off to get as much distance as possible between himself and the apartment. As the guards stumbled into the doorway, they heard the beeping sounds of the suitcase. Unfortunately for the guards, it was too late, as they had just realized they had been played. As his jet-boosters kicked in on the wings Tim soared through the twilight sky, behind him the apartment flashed with a bright light and burst with a loud sound. Tim couldn't have used a real bomb. He was taught better than that. The suitcase was a disrupter, a sort of 'flashbang', which incapacitated the guards, while knocking out the electronics in the immediate vicinity.

"Thank you WayneTech." Tim smiled as he soared down to the ground below.

* * *

><p>The next day Tim found himself in San Francisco. He had strolled through the city for a couple of hours, playing the role of the incognito superhero as he walked up and down the streets of the hilly city. He wasn't sure where to start looking for Cassandra, but he had a feeling he would run into her eventually. He knew that N.O.W.H.E.R.E would be looking for her and he knew there would be a scene. Although they'd met before, Tim had to read up on her file beforehand as he didn't know her well. She was apparently a thief, which meant she was on the run most of the time. N.O.W.H.E.R.E would know this. They would know where to look. However, for Tim it was a bit more difficult. He had a plan though.<p>

Tim had read in her file what she was capable of. He had expected N.O.W.H.E.R.E to track her down before he did. Tim just had to rely on her to make a scene. He knew about the criminal element. Once a thief gets caught, they would do anything to get away. It can sometimes get messy. He just had to wait for the signs.

As Tim walked past a coffee shop, he glanced in to see the TV reports, describing a young meta-human causing a large amount of damage at a local mall. Knowing that N.O.W.H.E.R.E was causing all of this, Tim made his way to the mall where he climbed a nearby building to get a better vantage point. He slipped into his Red Robin attire, getting ready for the fight. He looked towards the glass ceiling of the mall, only to see a man thrown directly out of it.

"That's my queue," He said as he expanded his wings to take flight. Tim glided over the now broken glass ceiling noticing ten agents attacking a girl in a red costume. The girl could certainly handle herself. Tim folded in his wings and soared through the hole of the ceiling, aiming right for an agent who was about to take out Wonder Girl at her blind spot. He flew straight towards the agent, slamming him into the ground as he used the agent's body to break his fall. He spun around quickly, throwing batarangs at another two agents. Wonder Girl turned to face Tim.

"Robin? What the hell are you doing here?" She asked.

"It's Red Robin. And I'm saving your ass!" Tim shouted as he swiftly threw another batarang past Wonder Girl's head to hit the agent standing behind her.

"I don't need your help!" She yelled as she tossed another punch to an N.O.W.H.E.R.E agent.

"You might not, but they do!" Tim said while pointing at the civilians nearby. "Let's take this outside so no one gets hurt."

As he said this, Wonder Girl grabbed the last of the blue masked agents and tossed him through a store, seemingly ending the fight.

"I'm done here anyway," She said as she took off in full flight out of the mall.

Tim grunted as he opened his wings and shot up through the hole in the ceiling, chasing after the person he had been looking for. Tim saw that she landed on a roof top close by, so he made his way towards her location. As he landed, he was welcomed with a harsh response.

"What the hell were you doing back there? I didn't need your help," She yelled.

"Didn't look that way to me. I just saved your ass back there. Besides I was making sure that no one else got hurt over what you've done to that place. What the hell were you thinking, taking on all those guys in the middle of a crowded mall?" He said.

"Hey! Those guys attacked me, alright! What do you expect me to do? And who were those guys? They attacked me a few days ago and now today. What's going on?"

"Those were N.O.W.H.E.R.E agents. They came here because they're after you. Just like they're after me. They wanted to capture you." Tim explained.

"Why? What the hell did I do to them?" She asked

"You're a meta-human. You have powers."

"So they're capturing people with powers? Why not capture Superman or Green Lantern or something?"

"Because they're too high profile. Too powerful. They're capturing kids…teens with powers. They think we are the menace. They want to get rid of us, or recruit us to their side. That's their goal. My goal is to make sure that doesn't happen," Tim said.

"Well good luck with that Red." She replied.

"Wait. I need your help," Tim said calmly.

"I work better alone."

"What? Because you're a thief? Because you're on the run all of the time? I know who you are. You can stop running now."

"We've met once. You don't know anything about me!" She shouted as she began to look as if she was filling with anger.

"I looked at your file Cassandra. You've been moving around the country ever since you were 12. I know those ancient artifacts that you have on aren't yours. You stole them. You also have a record. Three charges of theft, two charges of grand theft auto, and one breaking and entering." Tim said as he examined her reaction to his knowledge.

"It's Cassie. And just because you looked at some file doesn't mean I should help you," She said.

"These guys are more dangerous than you think. They're professionals. They take kids, either murdering them or abducting them and using them for something worse. Now that you've fought back, they are going to make sure you end up dead. We need to take the fight to them and make sure they won't be able to do this anymore. That's why I need your help. I can't do this on my own. I need a team," Tim said.

"Trust me; you don't want me on your team." She said flatly.

"I might not want you. But I need you. And you need this. You've been running your whole life. This is the chance for you to stop running. We can take this fight to them. With more of us, we can beat them. Please..." He said.

Cassie looked up at Red Robin, considering what he had said. She had been running… for a very long time. Although she was used to it, she didn't like it. With all that Red Robin was saying, she felt that he truly meant what he had said. She didn't trust him, but she knew how he felt about her situation. She had a feeling that he was running from something too.

She thought about his request for a few moments, thinking of what he had said. She knew if she didn't do something, they would keep coming after her.

"If I do this… it'll be a one-time deal. We get these guys off our backs and then we go our separate ways. Alright?" She said firmly.

"As long as we take these guys out, I'm good with that," He said.

"Alright. So do you have a plan?" she asked.

"Yeah, we get more people to help us out. We infiltrate their base and take them out."

"Wait I thought you had a team?"

"So far… we are the team. I only got a chance to look at the first person on their list of targets, which turned out to be you."

"You're joking, right?" She asked.

"Well, I know someone we could call… but I was really hoping that we didn't have to call him," Tim sighed.

* * *

><p>Bart Allen was excited for school to be over. He couldn't stand being cooped up in a classroom for 4 periods a day. Whenever he was in class, Bart couldn't concentrate, flickering his attention every which way, fingers tapping at super speed on his desk, leg shaking with ferocity as the clock just kept ticking away. For the young speedster, minutes seemed like hours, as the day crawled to catch up with him. However, when the school day was done, he was all set to leave the dreaded high school that he had hated so much.<p>

Once the bell had rung, he grabbed his bag, and sped home with lightning speed that could only be outmatched by his grandfather, Barry Allen. That was a complicated story that Bart chose to forget a long time ago. He raced through his house, making an abrupt stop right at the foot of his bed. He threw his bag to the ground and jumped on the bed, letting out a big sigh of relief. Right as he was just about to get comfortable, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He opened it up to see who was calling.

"Caller ID restricted? Huh? Alright," He said to himself. He questioned whether to answer or not. "Hello?"

"Bart. It's Tim."

"Hey Tim what's up man? It's been awhile," he replied.

"Where are you?"

"At home. Why?" he asked.

"How fast can you get to San Francisco?"

"Dude, do you know who you're talking to?" He exclaimed.

"Well, I need your help."

As they were speaking, Bart heard strange sounds coming from downstairs. He knew no one would be home for a couple of hours. "Hang on a sec," he told Tim as he silently opened the door a few inches to peer through hallway. He saw what looked like soldiers or mercenaries with blue masks checking the rooms one by one with guns in hand. "Yeah, Tim?" he whispered. "I'm going to have to call you back."

He hung up the phone, flung the door open and ran full blast towards the mercenaries. He gave a swift kick to the first one, who didn't even see what was coming. He then spun around, throwing punches to the man standing behind him. He speed punched the mercenary in the abdomen, throwing 20 punches in the span of 2 seconds. He quickly defeated him and moved on to the next intruder. Bart dashed downstairs and into the kitchen hallway, where he swiftly received a smack to the head. Dazed, he looked up from the ground to see a man wearing a blue mask with the number 3 on it standing over him, pointing a hand gun directly to the young speedster's head.

"Wrong move kid."


	2. Team Building

Chapter 2: Team Building

Bart Allen opened his eyes to a bright light. His eyelids struggled against the hard light, after being knocked out for a few hours. He finally managed to pry his eyes open to see where he ways. He examined what looked like to be a cell. Plain white walls surrounded the speedster, except for a mechanical door. Bart looked down at his hands to see mechanical cuffs attached to them. The cuffs covered his whole hands and most of his forearms. He leaned back on the bed he was sitting on, trying to close his eyes again.

"This isn't good." He sighed.

Bart closed his eyes, trying to recall what had happened to him. He remembered that he came home to find strange people in his house. He was in his room when he received a call from someone he knew. His thoughts weren't flowing smoothly, as he had a hard time trying to remember. He thought harder, trying to remember what had happened. He recalled fighting a group of people and then getting hit in the head. He drew a blank from that point, as he felt a slight bump in his cell. He quickly opened his eyes and paid closer attention. It felt as though he was moving. _We're moving. Which means someone's taking me somewhere_, he thought to himself as he felt the whole cell moving, as if it were on wheels.

"Alright, how do I get myself out of here?"

He looked around the cell, looking for the best way to escape. There were no windows for him to climb out of, no methods to help him escape, and the only entrance or exit was from the mechanical door, which he couldn't open. _If I can't open it then I'll make them open it_, he thought. He got off the bed and went up to the door to examine it. After a brief second, Bart started to bang on it with his bulky hand cuffs.

"That ought to do it"

Bart heard the footsteps getting closer to his cell, the guards rushing toward to subdue the troublemaker. Bart readied himself to take on his captors. The door opened and Bart quickly analyzed the situation. He swiftly kicked the first guard in the jaw, following up by dashing into him, which rammed the guard to the wall. The other guard grabbed his baton and swiped vertically, which Bart dodged with a step back. Bart spun around and speed kicked the guard in the abdomen several times before he collapsed.

"Geez, you guys suck. Maybe you should rethink the whole prison guard thinnnnnngggggzzzzzzz…"

Bart felt the strength of 50,000 volts race through his body, as he failed to realize that a guard with a taser gun was standing behind him. The electricity went through his muscles, forcing him to shake. Bart clenched his teeth as the electricity surged through him. The electricity had made him vibrate, as the electricity enhanced his super speed. He felt that his hands were sliding through the hand cuffs, the vibration making his molecules vibrate at a subatomic level. It felt strange to him as he had never been able to achieve this before.

"What the hell?!" the guard said in amazement as he witnessed the young boy start slipping through beneath the floor.

Bart felt himself slipping, but couldn't concentrate as he was being shocked. His hands fully out of the hand cuffs and his body half way through the floor, he started to focus on the vibrations as he continued to slip through the floor. He clenched his fists and closed his eyes as he sped up the vibrations which helped him slip through little by little. As the guard released the cables to the stun gun, Bart managed to slip through all the way, hitting the hard pavement of the road as the truck that he was in sped past him. He laid on the ground for a few seconds and stared at the night time sky.

"What just happened?" He said to himself whilst regaining his strength.

Bart looked up at the stars, seeing constellations connect in intricate ways. He had always loved looking up at the stars as a kid and still enjoyed it. He didn't have much time to enjoy it this time as he heard the sudden screech of the tires as the truck had stopped. He turned his head and looked at the truck that had stopped a football field away. He got up quickly and looked around to observe where he was. He seemed to be in the middle of a desert somewhere. Bart quickly looked back to see guards rushing out of the giant vehicle, aiming guns at him. He ran along the road go as fast as a sports car. He looked back to see that the guards becoming smaller and smaller as he ran farther away from them. He let out a sigh of relief, as he had successfully escaped his first capture. _All right, need to find a phone_, he thought to himself.

* * *

><p>After the brief call with Bart, Tim and Cassie changed into their street clothes to hide from the N.O.W.H.E.R.E operatives that were searching from them. Tim wore a dark grey hoodie with average jeans and some converses. Cassie had been wearing jeans with a button up shirt. They walked down the streets of San Francisco, heading towards Cassie's house to hide out until they could make up a plan to defeat the organization hunting them.<p>

"So… are your parents home?" Tim asked Cassie awkwardly, as the break the silence of the night.

"Nope. My parents aren't…around much" she replied.

"Oh" he said.

"So what do you think happened to your friend?" she asked.

"I'm guessing N.O.W.H.E.R.E. found him."

"Oh… that sucks. Sorry."

The awkwardness seemed to intensify as they headed towards Cassie's home. It was hard for Tim to talk to her, as he found her quite intimidating. She, on the other hand, found Tim quite mysterious and therefore didn't want to pry out information. They walked the rest of the way silently as the night enwrapped them in a peaceful eloquence that they did not want to interrupt. A few moments later, they arrived at the house of Wonder Girl. Tim observed the two story house.

It seemed pretty normal to him. He really had nothing to base it on, as in the past he would spend his time in luxury suites, gothic mansions, or empty rooms. It had been a long time since he had been in a normal house like Cassie's. Tim entered the house and observed his surroundings, as he had always done. Everything seemed normal to him except for the fact that there were no family pictures up around the house. He did not want to question this fact, as he didn't want to upset his host in anyway while staying at her house.

"Welcome to my humble abode." She smirked.

"It's nice."

"Thanks I guess."

They walked through the hallway and into the living room. He saw a couch, a coffee table with magazines cluttering it, and a widescreen TV sitting across the room.

"I don't really have an extra room, so I guess you can take the couch." She offered.

"Yeah that'll be fine."

"I'll bring some blankets and pillows for you." She said.

"Thanks"

She walked upstairs to grab the blankets out of the closet. She turned her head toward a room with the door slightly opened. She walked towards the door and closed it shut, not completely trusting her house guest. She went into the other room to change into her sleeping attire as it was getting late. Then, she walked downstairs and to see her guest sitting on the couch, reading a magazine. "How can anyone read this crap" she heard him whispered to himself as he obviously didn't realize she could hear him. She set the blankets on the chair next to the couch and sat down with him.

"Want to watch some TV?" she asked.

"Uhh… sure." He replied.

She turned on the TV and started to flip through the channels. Tim got the feeling she wasn't really there to watch TV. As he thought this, he looked at Cassie. She had changed into a tank top and sleeping shorts. He especially noticed her hair, which was now flowing. He thought it had looked quite nice. He cleared his throat and looked back at the TV.

"So what do I call you?" she asked, still looking at the TV screen.

"What, Red Robin isn't good enough for you?" he said in a joking manner.

"You expect me to call you Red Robin all the time?"

"It's Tim." He sighed. He was being cautious in revealing himself to her. He didn't like to reveal himself and when he did, it was only for an important reason. He figured that if he was to gain her trust for her to work with him, he would have to reveal information about himself, no matter how much he disliked it. She stopped flipping through the channels and turned toward him.

"So Tim… I didn't really thank you for saving me at the mall today…"

"You don't have to."

"Yeah I do actually. I was being an asshole. I didn't mean to put civilians' lives at danger and I didn't mean to yell at you. It's just that I was mad at those stupid people that attacked me. They…" she trailed off as if she had hurt feelings.

"What?" he asked.

"The first time they tried to capture me I fought them. They tried to sedate me or something but I just kept fighting. I managed to fend them off. The rest of them left after I fought a couple of the guys. One of them left a note saying that they would come after me again and also… go after my mom."

"Cassie, we won't let that happen. We'll take these guys out before they get to her."

"What if they have her already? She's not even here most of the time. She travels a lot. What if they took her…"

"They won't. They're going after you, not her. You're the priority to them. Trust me. She'll be fine." He said as he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. "Hold on a second." He told her.

"Hello?"

"Dude you would not believe what happened!" Bart exclaimed.

"Bart? What happened to you?" Tim asked.

"Oh you know, just escaping from custody of these weird ass mercenary guys! It was awesome man. You should have seen it. I like hit this dude and then this one guy tazed me and then I…"

"Yeah I get it. What happened at the beginning Bart?"

"Oh, when you called earlier these guys with blue masks broke into my house. I took out two of the guys and then I got hit in the head. The next thing I know I'm in a cell on the back of this huge truck taking me out in the middle of the desert. Oh that reminds me, I'm in a desert. Just to let you know."

"How long has it been since you escaped?" Tim asked.

"I got into this old desert town like a couple of minutes ago. I escaped like maybe 20 minutes ago. I don't know man. I don't keep track of time."

"Alright, Bart I need you to listen to me. Run to the nearest city and stay low for the night. They're probably tracking you down as we speak. Once we hang up run. Alright? In the morning head towards San Francisco. And when you get a chance look up Sandsmark in a phonebook."

"You're not going to tell me where you are?"

"No, I don't want to risk getting compromised."

"Fine, I'll see you tomorrow." Bart said as they both hung up the phone.

Tim turned towards Cassie again and saw her flipping through the channels. He glared at the TV as she landed on the news channel. Before she changed it he saw the headline report about the abduction of a teen in New York City.

"So I'm guessing that was your friend?" she asked.

"Wait go back to the last channel."

She clicked back a channel and they both watched the news report. The report was showing a battle between a kid with electrical based powers and a group of agents. The agents subdued the boy and cuffed him with what seemed to be high tech hand bracers.

"These guys are serious." She remarked.

"Yeah looks that way."

"You know it's going to take more than me and you to take these guys out."

"Yeah. I know."

"So, what's the plan then?" she asked.

"We meet up with Bart tomorrow. After that we'll see how it goes."

"I hope you know what you're doing."

"Me too." He replied under his breath.

They continued to watch TV as the night slipped away. Both really weren't watching TV, but instead thinking about the situation they were in. Tim was going over in his head multiple ways that he could attempt to take down the organization, but none had seemed possible. He looked over at Cassie every once in a while, noticing her nodding off while watching the TV. Tim looked up at the clock and saw that it was two in the morning. Although he was used to the late hours and lack of sleep he was concerned for her.

"You should probably go to sleep. You look tired." He said.

"I guess after this show"

"Alright well is it alright if I get some water?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure." She said, almost half asleep.

Tim had gotten up to get some water. When he had returned he saw that Cassie had fallen asleep on the couch. He grabbed the remote and turned the TV off. He then took a blanket from the chair and lightly placed it over her. He didn't want to interrupt her, so he sat in the chair for a while. Tim thoughts filled with how he would settle the N.O.W.H.E.R.E problem. He stayed up for a few hours thinking to himself, not only about the plan but other things that occupied his mind. He gave a glance at Cassie and saw that she was peacefully sleeping. He then looked upwards toward the ceiling, calming his nerves and relaxing his mind. His eyelids grew heavier and his body became numb. Tim silently drifted into sleep.

* * *

><p>Both Tim and Cassie woke up startled by a loud banging on the door. Tim went to the door and peered through the peephole. He saw a teenager with light brown hair, a yellow shirt, and worn out shoes franticly knocking at the door.<p>

"Yo, open up! Tim! Come on!" He yelled out.

"Bart, can you at least be somewhat quiet?" Tim asked while opening the door.

"Sorry man, but I'm kind of in some trouble. I think those guys followed me here. We should probably go. Hey, who's the girl?"

"That's Cassie Sandsmark. Wonder Girl. Cassie this is Bart."

The speedster sped past Tim and directly to Cassie, stopping quickly while holding out his hand, as to greet her with a handshake.

"Also known as Kid Flash." He said as to try and impress her.

"Uh…hi." She said in a mild manner.

"You said they followed you here. How?" Tim asked.

"I don't know. I just saw a couple of them on my way here from the city."

"Alright, we're leaving. Now."

"Where are we going?" Cassie asked.

"I think I know a place." Tim replied.

* * *

><p>Tim led the group to an abandoned warehouse at the edge of the city. Tim walked up to a support beam and pressed his palm up against it. It activated a switch that led to a door opening on the ground.<p>

"What is this place?" Bart asked.

"A safe house. A friend of mine has places like these in every major city. He's kind of anal about this kind of stuff."

They ventured down into an underground bunker, where they saw computer systems, an armory, a batmobile, and a batcycle.

"So, Tim, what's the plan? We going to charge into battle against these guys are what?" Bart asked.

"No. We need to find out why they are capturing these teens. They are specifically targeting people with powers. I want to know why."

"I thought we were taking out these guys." Cassie interjected.

"We are. But I need to find a way to do that. Before I found you, I was hacking into their system and I saw a list of names. These were their targets. I didn't have time to download it, so I just saw the first name on the list, which was yours."

"So we need hack in again and get that list. We get to the targets before they do. Then we confront them and take them down."

"It's not that simple Cassie. I can't just hack in again. They'll find us again and we're back to starting over at square one."

"So how do we get the list without giving away where we are?" Bart asked.

Tim sat in the computer chair silently. He had a focused look on his face, as he was planning what to do. He realized that the list was trivial in the grand scheme of things. That if they were to actually find out where this N.O.W.H.E.R.E organization was, they can take them down. He needed a way to find this organization. After a few moments of silence, a plan finally clicked into Tim.

"The list isn't the problem. It's the solution. Bart you said that they captured you and you escaped right. I'm guessing they were taking you to their facility. If we…if I get captured, I'm assuming they would take me to their facility. I'll be able to rescue the people already there, while gaining information on them. Two birds, one stone."

"So you want us to turn ourselves in? That's crazy!" Bart exclaimed.

"We don't have a lot of options here."

"I agree with Bart. That's a stupid idea. They're probably going to kill you."

"I'm hoping they won't. The plan is for me to get captured, go in, hack everything they got, let the kids go, and hopefully make it out."

"What about us?" Cassie asked.

"You're going to break me out."


	3. Termination

Chapter 3: Termination

Tim motioned toward his bag. He pulled his Red Robin costume out, preparing for the night ahead of him. He knew he had to put on a show in order to get the attention of N.O.W.H.E.R.E. He was only hoping that they would take him in alive. He had been a thorn in their side for a while now and he knew that could come back to bite. He still had faith that with the impression he made on the shady organization, he would be taken in alive.

"Tim, this is insane!" Cassie said.

"Yeah, man. They are seriously going to kill you." Bart added.

"I'll take my chances." Tim replied as he slid his cowl over his face. He walked over the gadget rack on the wall. He took a communicator and walked over to Cassie.

"Here take this. It's a communicator that doubles as a tracking device. Once I activate it, you'll be able to know where I am. Once I'm in, and do what I need to do, I'll signal you to come and break me out."

"Don't do this. We can find another way to get in without getting yourself killed." She said.

"Look. This is the only option I can think of. I need you to trust me on this all right Cassie? I'll be fine."

Tim walked toward a batcycle and clicked his communicator on. He got on the bike and was about to put on his helmet when he felt Cassie's hand touch his shoulder. He turned to look at her and saw fear in her eyes.

"Be careful." She said.

Tim put his helmet on and reeved up the engine. He pressed a button on the helmet, and suddenly, the back wall of the bunker opened up, revealing a tunnel. He reeved the bike once more and speed towards the tunnel. Cassie and Bart silently watched as the wall behind him closed.

"What now?" Bart asked.

"We make sure he doesn't die."

* * *

><p>Tim perched himself on top of an apartment building as he looked out towards the city street. San Francisco was a very odd place for him, as he had only been there a few times. This city was so foreign to him. Gotham was his home for the longest time. The Gotham streets were ingrained in his mind, as night after night he was out solving crimes and dealing with the criminal element that was synonymous with that city. San Francisco on the other hand actually looked peaceful. That is, compared to Gotham.<p>

He flipped up the screen on his wrist and monitored the area for any crimes that were happening near by. He scanned the police communicators to find that there was a robbery at a liquor store 2 blocks from where he was. The suspects were seen leaving in a beat up getaway car and heading towards his direction. He lifted himself up from the perched position and pulled out his grappling hook. He shot it at a ledge and swung. The wind roared in his ears as he got closer and closer to the ground. Suddenly, he released the grappling cable and readied himself for a fierce landing. _Feels like Gotham,_ he thought.

Tim slammed on the roof of the getaway car, feeling a slight twitch on the right side of his chest. _Probably bruised a rib,_ he thought to himself. After all, he was only human. Tim grasped at the edges of the car, as to not fall off due to the turbulent driving. With his left hand, he punched through the window on the driver's side. He tossed in a smoke pellet to disorient the driver. He then proceeded to reach in through the driver's side window to access the steering wheel. Tim jerked the wheel towards the left and steered the car into lamppost. Before it could crash, Tim tumbled off of the roof of the car, and rolled on the hard pavement. As the car came to a violent crash, Tim lifted himself off the ground and made his way toward the car.

"Hey guys, next time pick a better getaway car. This is a piece of crap."

"Ughhh…." The robber replied.

Suddenly, a helicopter flew in from behind a nearby apartment building. Tim looked closely at the helicopter, revealing it to be military grade. _Not a news copter. This is them, _he thought. A few ropes fell down from the helicopter, followed by agents in blue masks. Ten agents repelled from the helicopter, followed by a man in blue and orange armor. Tim didn't recognize the man, as he followed the other agents down the rope. The armored man's facemask wasn't like the others. Half of his mask was orange and the other half was dark blue. It seemed he only had one eye slit on the orange side to see out of. He carried a large sword on his back, and was equipped with multiple guns and knives. He was much bigger and bulkier than the other agents. His mask and armor looked to be battle damaged, as it appears that the man had seen many fights in his time as an agent.

"Stand down. This kid's mine." He told the other agents.

Tim readied his bo staff to take on this new threat. "Come and get me then" Tim replied.

"How cute. A bo staff. You're in the playoffs now kid. Need to bring a bigger game then that." The man said.

The man pulled out his sword and slashed at Tim's head. He ducked in time, and thrust his staff into the man's abdomen. To Tim's surprise, the man caught the staff before it could hit him. He swung his sword down, cutting the staff in two. The man turned and proceeded to deliver a fierce roundhouse kick. The man's boot landed right on Tim's jaw. Tim fell to the ground in a flux of pain.

"Uh oh…"Tim murmured.

* * *

><p>-One Hour Ago-<p>

"What now?" Bart asked.

"We make sure he doesn't die." Cassie responded.

"And how do we do that?"

"He activated his communicator before he left. We follow him to where he's going to be and watch his back. We make sure that they take him alive."

"Yeah that's probably a good idea. Sounds like a plan." He said.

"We have to stay hidden though. We can't tip him or N.O.W.H.E.R.E off."

"N.O.W.H.E.R.E is such a stupid name. What does that even stand for? Might as well have just called themselves 'the evil guys who like to be mysterious and…."

"Flash, focus. Let's go find Tim." She interrupted.

"Yeah, good deal."

Cassie and Bart followed the path toward Tim. They decided to keep to the rooftops as to not get noticed. Cassie was worried for Tim. She didn't want him to get hurt. She owed him for the rescue at the mall. She wanted to act tough and confident, but she knew she had no clue what she was doing then. If it weren't for Tim, the N.O.W.H.E.R.E agents would have abducted her. Cassie hoped that if the situation came up, she would be able to return the favor. But it was different this time. She knew that Tim getting himself caught was a foolish thing to do, but she went along with it anyway. The only thing that she could do now is to make sure things go smoothly.

"Hey, I got a lock on him on this tracker device thing." Bart said.

"Where is he?"

"It says he's a couple blocks away." He replied.

As soon as Bart spoke, they both heard a sudden crash. Cassie grabbed Bart by the hand and flew towards the crash site. They landed on a nearby building, witnessing Tim confronting the robbers.

"For a guy without powers, the dude sure can handle himself." Bart commented as he observed the damage Tim dealt to the robbers.

"Wait, hold on. There's a helicopter coming. Doesn't look like a news copter though. Must be them."

A few moments later, they saw the agents repel down from the helicopter, along with a big brute of an agent, who looked odd among the others. They noticed he was equipped with more weapons. His mask was different too. Instead of the normal blue mask, it was half blue and half orange.

"Who is that guy?" Cassie asked.

"I don't know. But I got a feeling he's not from News Channel One."

* * *

><p>Tim grabbed the two broken pieces of his bo staff and lifted himself off of the ground. He knew he could manage with what he had, as Nightwing had trained him to use escrima sticks before. Tim readied himself in a fighting stance, as did his opponent. He stared at the man for a quick second, determining any noticeable weaknesses. He noticed the armor the man was wearing and figured it would slow him down. He also only had one eye slit to see out of on his left side. <em>Keep to the right. Use his weight against him. Hit between the armored plates, <em>he thought as his quick second ran out.

The man dashed towards Tim with his sword slashing downwards. Tim sidestepped the attack and motion toward the man's right side. Before he could take his advantage, the man stepped toward his left, turned his body, and swiftly elbowed him in the chest, knocking him back. Tim felt the pain surge, as the bruised rib he acquired early had come back to punish him. He dropped the staff in his left hand and grasped his chest. It was getting harder for him to breathe.

"You assumed staying to my right would benefit you. Well that was a good observation. Just like the one I made about you. You were hunching toward you right, which I assumed was because of a cracked rib." The man said.

Cassie and Bart were watching from the roof of the building near by. They both witnessed the strength and brutality of this man. Cassie realized that Tim was in serious trouble.

"I'm going in." Cassie said.

"No, that's not the plan. Tim told us to stay out of it." Bart said.

"He's going to get killed down there." She said with sincerity flowing in her voice.

"He can handle it."

Tim regained himself. He threw a flashbang pellet to the ground to try and disorient his foe. He jumped in the air and motioned for a butterfly kick. The man ducked out of the way and swung his sword. Tim weaved out and thrust his staff towards his foe's face. The bo staff made contact, but the main regained himself quickly, while back kicking the staff out of Tim's hands. Tim quickly grabbed a few of his batarangs and threw them in his direction. The man swiftly brought his sword up in time to deflect the batarangs aimed at his chest. The man then lunged towards Tim and swung his body in a 360-degree circle and slashed at Tim's chest. He then spun around again, and this time, hit Tim in the chest with the hilt of his sword.

Cassie rushed to Bart and grabbed the communicator out of his hands.

"Tim!" she shouted into the communicator.

Tim felt his rib crack under the pressure of the hit. He fell to his knees, grasping at his chest. The now broken rib made it ever more harder to breathe. He lifted his hand from his chest to see the bright red of his blood flowing down from his glove. The slash on his chest stung like nothing else he had ever endured. Tim lifted his head up to look at the man.

"Who are you?" Tim asked.

"Deathstroke." The man replied. "And I'm here to kill you."

Deathstroke then kneed Tim in the face, forcing him to the ground. He then grabbed his neck and pulled him up to face him. Deathstroke looked at Tim for a split second, and then preceded to headbutt him in the head. He walked towards a nearby wall of a building and slammed Tim up against it. He punched him in the face, in the abdomen, and finally in the chest one last time. Tim fell to the ground in agonizing pain. He spat up blood and cocked his head back, looking at the one eyed masked man. He felt himself on the verge of blacking out. He was about to slip away when he heard Cassie's voice on the communicator. Her voice jolted him back into consciousness. He looked back up at Deathstroke and tried to lift himself up, but couldn't bring himself to do it. His broken ribs and the subsequent beating took the fight out of him.

Cassie ran towards the edge of the building, readying herself to fly in and help Tim. Bart rushed towards her and grabbed her by the hand.

"Wait. Look." He exclaimed.

Deathstroke lifted his sword and was about to thrust it into Tim's chest, when another agent came up and interrupted. Deathstroke turned to look at the agent.

"Just got the call. Westbrook wants him alive." The agent said.

Deathstroke then turned back to look at Tim, pausing for a moment. He then lowered his blade. He flipped the sword toward the hilt, and smacked Tim in the head with it, knocking him unconscious.

* * *

><p>An image of a girl appeared in Tim's mind. He couldn't focus on her, as she looked distorted and blurred. The girl was turned away from him, facing the opposite direction. He could only make out her flowing blonde hair. It was lush and beautiful. He heard faint voices in the background, but couldn't distinguish what the girl was saying. The background changed from pitch black to a bluish hue with a trace of orange. The girl appeared to be walking away from him. He motioned closer, but the girl was still blurred. However, the voices became louder and more focused in his mind, but he still couldn't make out what the girl was saying. He heard another voice as well, a man's voice. A voice he had heard recently. He couldn't put the voice to a face, but he recognized it.<p>

He hurried closer to the girl, but no matter how far Tim thought he moved, he could never reach her blurred visage. Although the girl was still blurred, the background became more distinct. Half of what he saw was blue, and the other half turned orange, with the girl standing in the middle. The man's voice became louder as he got closer. Tim could slightly make out the words.

"Dea…." He heard.

He got closer and closer to the girl. He felt like he was sprinting toward her. All the while, the man's voice got richer and clearer.

"Death…" He heard again.

He felt like he was mere feet away from the girl. Her voice was now getting stronger as well, although he was unable to hear what she was saying. He reached out his hand and grabbed the girl on the shoulder. He turned her around only to see the mask of Deathstroke covering her face. He heard the man's voice speak softly, "Deathstroke." He stared at the girl's masked face, as the girl shouted, "Tim!"

* * *

><p>Tim woke up startled. A bright light blurred his vision. He could see exactly where he was, but he felt that his hands were locked in cuffs. Once his vision recovered, he saw himself in a white cell. The door to the cell was made of thick green lasers. He looked up at the ceiling and saw what looked like heat lamps attached. <em>Power dampeners, <em>he thought. He looked down at his hands, revealing huge metal bracers over his wrists. They weren't the ordinary set of handcuffs, but he figured he could still break his way out of them. Thankfully he still had his costume on. _Even though they probably took most of my gear, they didn't take everything, _he thought. He kept a secret lock pick in his glove at all times, in case of emergencies like this. He was about to pull it out, when he heard someone coming down the hall. He sat back and waited for someone to come.

"Hello, Red Robin." A man in a lab coat said. "My name is Dr. Westbrook. It's nice to finally meet you. You know, you've been an incredible pain to me and my project for quite some time now."

"I'm glad." Tim replied.

"Oh you shouldn't be. See, it was my previous intention for Deathstroke to kill you, as to stop this obsessive detriment to my project. But, I reconsidered. Seeing you as the tough, young fighter, I found a better way to handle the situation."

"And what way is that? You're going to experiment on me? You're going to study me? Find out what makes me tick?"

"Oh, no. See I've studied you for quite some time, already. You were once the former Robin, partner of the great Batman. You have substantial hand-to-hand combat skills and you certainly are quite the detective. But, frankly, you quite bore me. See, I only find interest in those who demonstrate a kind of…uniqueness." Westbrook said.

"You mean people with powers?" Tim asked.

"Yes, but more specifically, those with a meta-gene. These day's, so called superheroes are popping up everywhere. Ever since Superman, we have been living in a golden age of heroism. I find it quite fascinating how everyday, normal human beings are becoming less and less relevant. We humans are becoming obsolete. These new found gods are claiming to save us with all their might and glory, but in reality are stepping on us like ants to a boot. That is why I do what I do. I would like to even the playing field."

"So you kidnap kids? In order to what, study them and extract their powers for you're benefit?"

"You are smart. See, the thing is, we might have an army, but they have the weapons of mass destruction. These gods have all the power in the world at their fingertips. Why shouldn't man have the same odds? I think I am bringing some stability to the world. By creating our own army of superhumans, we will be able to stand up to the likes of Superman and the Justice League."

"Why kids? Why not just go after the big fish?" Tim asked.

"A teenager, such as yourself, should know how adaptive and manipulative your kind truly are. In this period of your lives, you have such potential for something great. I simply took advantage of this precious stage in life and used it for the basis of my research. I take out what gifts your generation provides, and I use them in my research. Take Superboy for example."

A boy walked up next to the doctor. He was tall with dark hair and looked strikingly like Superman. He wore a black costume with streaks of red, and a red 'S' shield on his chest. He stood next to Westbrook, with his red eyes glaring, and an emotionless face aimed straight at Tim.

"Robin, meet the future."


	4. System Shock

Chapter 4: System Shock

Superboy stared at Tim with an emotionless face. His beading red eyes looking right back at Tim's. He was in shock at what he saw.

"What the hell is that?" Tim asked.

"This is a 5 years of cloning and genetic research coming to a head. He is a clone of Superman. Well, partially. He's half super, half man. He is the first successful super soldier in our new army. When Superman first showed up, it was quite obvious that we didn't know what to expect. We had very little knowledge of what Superman was. So we made our own. And the best part is we have complete and total control over him. A microchip implant links directly to our mainframe. We control every little move he makes. "

"Why tell me all of this? What do you need me for?"

"Well, seeing that many of our test subject die while under the genomorphing stage, we thought it would be nice if we had some volunteers. Though frankly, I doubt you'll make it through. Most don't."

Tim noticed a noise coming from down the hall. He saw Westbrook turn to look at what was coming.

"Ahh, speaking of volunteers. Here's one now." Westbrook said.

Tim saw two guards, followed by two doctors, wheeling in a green skinned boy. He was strapped to a hospital bed with what seemed to be power dampeners hooked on to each side. The green skinned boy turned and looked at Tim as he was wheeled off to his cell.

"That was Garfield Logan, Subject name: Beast Boy. He is showing great promise. As of right now, he has the ability to transform into any animal he knows of. It is actually quite interesting. However, the side effects are very apparent. The genomorphing has affected his skin, turning it green and growing fur. Quite the casualty. We can only hope for the best for you."

Westbrook turned to Superboy and patted him on the shoulder. Westbrook then proceeded to walk down the hallway. Superboy gave Tim on last glare, and then turned to follow his master. Tim knew that his escape was going to be met with some severe obstacles. He could handle the guards, but wasn't too keen on facing Superboy. He was in no condition to find someone of that caliber. Tim wasn't even sure what the Superboy was capable of. He had to think of a safer way out. As he was thinking of a plan, Tim suddenly heard knocking on the wall beside him.

"Red Robin." A voice whispered. "You need to get out of here."

"Who are you?" Tim asked.

"My name is Virgil Hawkins. I can help you get out of here."

"How?"

"First, get out of your cell. Take the guards out and free me. Then we'll talk."

Tim wasn't too sure about Virgil, but he knew he had no other choice. This kid was in the same situation as he was in, so he had to trust him. He lifted his wrists toward his face to retrieve the lock pick in his gauntlet. As he lifted his wrist, he felt a surge of pain rushing from his side. His cracked ribs from his encounter with Deathstroke certainly left their mark. He flinched for a moment, but regained himself as he pulled the lock pick from his gauntlet with his teeth. He spit it back in his hand and started to work away at the metal bracers on his wrist. After a few moments, the cuffs clicked and he was released. _Now time to get out of the cell,_ he thought. He looked around for a way to get out of the cell. He realized there would be guards waiting for him once he escaped. He looked around the confined cell. He noticed that there were some pipes on the ceiling. He could use them to his advantage.

Tim looked at the lasers covering the entrance of the cell. _Here goes nothing, _he thought as flicked the lock pick and threw the cuffs at the lasers. He had a hunch that any connection with the lasers would trigger a response from the guards. He waited for a moment to hear for any footsteps. After a few moments, Tim heard the guard lift himself up from his chair and signaled the other guard to check on Tim's cell. Tim could hear the guards walk toward his cell. Tim looked at the pipes on the ceiling, and then jumped up to grab them. The cracked ribs took their toll, as the immense pain rushed through Tim's side. He had to work through the pain, as this was his only opportunity to escape. He pulled himself up and positioned himself for an aerial ambush on the guards.

The guards looked into the cell, only to see nothing but a pair of cuffs and a lock pick lying on the ground. "What the fuck!" one of the guards exclaimed. He pulled a card out of his back pocket and slid in through a machine, disabling the lasers. Both of the guards walked in to the cell looking confused and befuddled. Tim held out as long as he could, as his side was burning up under the pressure of holding himself up on the pipes. He jumped down on top of one guard. He grabbed the guard's head and slammed it into the ground. Before the other guard knew what was going on, Tim turned and delivered a roundhouse kick to the guard's head. The guard fell and knocked the other side of his head on the wall next to him. Tim regained himself and quickly grabbed the key card out of the unconscious guards pocket and proceeded toward the other cells. He went to Virgil's cell and unlocked it. He noticed next to the locks that there was a name associated with each cell. It had Virgil's name on it with a Subject name. Apparently, Virgil's Subject name was Static.

"Static?" Tim asked.

Virgil walked out of his cell and lifted up his hands. Suddenly, electricity started to flow from his hands, as sparks danced from finger to finger. He pointed to his cuffs and zapped them with electricity. The cuffs unlocked and fell to the ground.

"Yeah, electricity is kind of my thing now." Virgil responded.

"Alright. Well help the others out." Tim said. He tossed the key card to Virgil.

"Where are you going?" Virgil asked.

"Going to get my stuff back. Don't have those fancy jazz hands like you do." Tim quipped.

Tim ran through the hallway looking for where his things would be. He stopped at the guard's desk. He grabbed another key card and looked at the monitor to see where his gear might be. He scanned the complex map and found a storage locker near the guard desk. He went to the locker and found his gear. He attached his utility belt and equipped himself with all of his gadgets. He grabbed the communicator and clicked it on. He was hoping that Cassie still had her communicator, as she was his exit plan. He was also hoping that she was okay. He left her and Bart alone. He had no idea if N.O.W.H.E.R.E had found them. Hoping for the best, he pressed a button on the communicator and started to speak.

"Cassie, you there?" Tim asked. There was silence. He was frightened to think of what might have happened to them. He waited a few seconds and gave it another shot.

"Cassie?" Tim said. He waited a few more seconds, but there was only silence.

"Damn it!" He shouted. Suddenly, a faint noise came from the communicator. He listened closely. "Come on Cass…" he said quietly, hoping that she would say something.

"Tim..." Cassie whispered.

"Thank god." He said under his breath. "Where are you?"

"Oh my god, Tim are you alright? I thought you were dead."

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said. He paused for a moment, as he regained himself. "Where are you?"

"Just outside the complex."

"You're here already?"

"Yeah, once that guy took you, we followed you through the tracking device."

"Good, good. Cassie are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm good. Better now knowing you're alive."

Tim paused for a moment, not knowing what to say. He was kind of surprised to hear that from her. He quickly said something to break the silence.

"So, where are we?" He asked awkwardly.

"You're in Nevada. In the middle of the desert somewhere," She replied.

"Alright. Stay there. Wait for my signal."

"Okay. Tim, be careful…"She said.

"You too." He replied.

Tim went back to the cells and found Virgil with the green skinned boy and a girl with red hair.

"Red Robin. This is Gar Logan and Caitlin Fairchild," Virgil said.

"Where are the others?" Tim asked.

"We're all that's left," Caitlin said.

"Guys we need to get out of here," Gar interjected.

"I agree. We need go. I know the way out from here." Virgil said.

"No, we can't leave yet. I need to stop Westbrook," Tim said.

"Are you insane? We need to leave." Virgil argued.

"No, we need to destroy this lab. They're creating weapons. Living weapons that he plans to use on the Justice League or any powered being that stands in his way. We need to destroy his lab and gain control of Superboy."

"We can't do that. We have no chance against him," Gar said.

"Yes we do, if we work together. We can make sure this doesn't happen to any more kids. We can stop this before it escalates into something bigger."

Virgil, Gar, and Caitlin looked at each other, deciding what to do. Tim realized that these people all bonded together over their harrowing situation. To them, Tim must have been insane. Why would they risk their lives to help a stranger? But Tim knew that they had to do this. They had the motive to take out this shady organization and now they had the powers to do so. He knew it was time for them to step up.

"Look, I need your help. We can do this. Trust me," Tim pleaded.

After a few moments, Virgil told Tim their consensus. "Alright. What's the plan then?"

* * *

><p>The four of them ventured through the hallways of N.O.W.H.E.R.E to find the genomorphing lab. Caitlin remembered where it was located, but they were halted at every turn by guards and agents. Tim noticed that they had some experience fighting and using their powers, but not a whole lot. He could tell that they had a lot to learn, although they did put up a good fight. They did have some training, as the scientists probably tested their limits a number of times. However, a training simulation is nothing like real life and Tim knew this all too well. Whenever the group encountered guards or agents, Tim took the lead, giving commands and effectively using each of the others strengths. They fought their way through the complex, finally reaching the genomorphing lab.<p>

"This is where they do their experiments," Caitlin said.

Tim grabbed the key card and slid it into the slot, opening the doors. They stepped into the lab. The scientists, still working in the lab, looked up at the kids entering the lab. Beast Boy suddenly morphed into a lion and scared off the scientists, as they ran through the back exit. Static sealed the door behind them, as to hold off the other agents and guards in the facility. The others looked around the lab.

Tim walked up to the genomorphing machine. It looked like a mechanical testing tank. He moved closer to the testing tank to find a girl still inside. She had what looked to be like blonde hair. She wore a white eye patch over her left eye. Tim recognized her from somewhere, but he couldn't place it.

"Guys there's a girl in here," Tim exclaimed.

The others walked over to the testing tank. They were in shock to find another one of them still alive.

"Oh my god, Rose!" Caitlin yelled.

"I can't believe it. I thought she was dead," Virgil said.

"I'm getting her out of here," Tim said.

Tim went for the controls on the other side of the room. He reached for the emergency release switch when he felt something on the back of his head. Tim then heard a sharp metallic click and knew a gun was placed at the back of his head.

"Don't press that button," a man said from behind him. He had recognized the voice. It was Deathstroke's.

"I'm trying to help her," Tim said.

"No, you're trying to kill her. The only thing keeping her alive is that machine. So, I advice you to step away from the controls, now," Deathstroke said.

Tim quickly turned around and grabbed the gun, lifting Deathstroke's hand as he pulled the trigger. Tim forced the gun up to the ceiling, as to not get shot. Tim threw a right hook at Deathstroke's face, only to have him catch his hand mid punch. He twisted Tim's hand and shoved him to the desk face first. The others motioned toward Deathstroke about to attack, but he had positioned his gun back on the top of Tim's head.

"Don't move," He said looking at the other teens.

Deathstroke pinned Tim's arm and he couldn't move out of it. Every time he tried to move his side burned even more. Deathstroke took advantage of Tim's cracked rib. Tim had to rethink the situation if he wanted to make it out alive.

"That's your daughter isn't it?" Tim said. "Left eye cut out. That's the reason you're working for Westbrook. They have your daughter. I'm trying to help her. I'm trying to free her," Tim argued.

Deathstroke paused for a moment. He looked towards the testing tank and looked back at Tim. He then tightened Tim's arm, causing even more pain to his ribs.

"I'm not working **for** Westbrook, I'm working **with **Westbrook. My daughter was weak. With Westbrook's help, she will become stronger, faster, better. Just like her dear old dad," Deathstroke said.

Tim looked down towards Deathstroke, noticing his legs were spread apart. _Going for the cheap shot,_ he thought. Tim swiftly brought his leg up and kicked Deathstroke. Deathstroke backed up, stunned by the devastating kick. Tim then proceeded to kick him again, this time in his abdomen. Before he could make contact, Deathstroke grabbed his foot. He then raised his leg and kicked Tim in the face, sending him across the room and into the testing chamber. Tim slammed into it, cracking the glass. The pressure in the tank changed, and the air rushed out of the tube. Tim lifted himself up and looked at the tank. He could see through the crack in the glass that the girl's blonde hair was suddenly turning white. Apparently, the external oxygen was having an adverse affect to the genomorphing process. Tim looked over to Deathstroke who was rushing over to the tank.

"No! You idiot!" Deathstroke shouted.

He looked at the tank, and then proceeded to take out his sword. He turned around and slashed at Tim, just barely missing his forehead. Tim backed up against the wall as Deathstroke charged at him, sword in hand. He lunged the sword toward Tim's chest, but he ducked just in time. Tim kicked Deathstroke in the abdomen, knocking him back, hitting the tank yet again.

"Static, now!" Tim shouted.

Virgil lifted his hands, as the blue electric sparks flowed between his fingers. He thrusted his hands forward, sending electric bolts at Deathstroke. Deathstroke jolted up against the tank, as electricity surged through him. Unbeknownst to him, he was gripping a cable on the testing tank, causing the tank to become electrified as well. The tank sparked and popped, causing severe damage to the mechanical testing chamber keeping this girl alive. The shock zapped Deathstroke unconscious, but the outcome of Rose was still undetermined. The teens looked at each other stunned.

"Caitlin, check on Rose. Static, Beast Boy, check the door. Make sure no one gets in," Tim said.

"What are you going to do?" Static asked.

"Destroying the genetic samples in the lab. I'm stopping N.O.W.H.E.R.E from ever creating any more living weapons," He replied.

Suddenly, a loud noise came from the door. The teens looked at the entrance of the lab, now with a huge hole in it.

"This can't be good," Tim mentioned.

Suddenly the door came crashing down, as Superboy flew into the room. He hovered above the ground for a few moments, scanning the area. He looked at Tim with his beading red eyes, focused and determined to kill him. Superboy flew towards him at super speed. Before he could impact him though, Caitlin tackled him out of the air and into a wall. Her size had changed from an hourglass figure to a bulkier physique, as her powers kicked into high gear.

"Go! Destroy the genetic material! Hurry!" She shouted before getting knocked across the room and into the neighboring lab. Beast Boy rushed in as a gorilla, tackling Superboy and trying to distract him while Tim went to the other lab. Static followed Beast Boy's lead and helped to distract Superboy. As Tim entered the secondary lab, he saw that Caitlin was knocked unconscious by the blow from Superboy. He knew he had no time to worry about her though, as he figured he only had mere moments to accomplish his mission. He went to the computer station of the lab. He pulled out a thumbdrive from his gauntlet and plugged it into the computer, hoping to hack the system and override it to destroy the genetic material used to create Westbrooks army.

He scanned the system, bypassing firewalls and advanced security measures, but he couldn't find the right encryption that lead him to the genomorphing lab. He looked harder knowing his time was running low. He flipped through the different stream of codes until he found the one he was looking for. He clicked on the code, revealing a wipeout mode, which could be used in case of a genetic mishap. He was about to click the button to start the incineration count down until Superboy blast through to the lab and flew towards Tim.

Tim jumped out the way in time, as to avoid being hit by the speeding bullet that was Superboy. He lifted himself up, but was greeted by a devastating punch to the face. The punch knocked Tim into the wall behind him. Superboy sped towards him, grabbing him by the throat and thrusting him towards the wall. Superboy's eyes beamed red, as he was about to ready himself to kill Tim with his laser vision. Before he could have the chance, Static came into the lab and zapped Superboy in the head with a bolt of electricity, distracting him.

Superboy threw Tim to the ground and focused his attention on Static. Superboy shot his eye beams toward Static, but he managed to dodge them in time. He was about to blast Static again, until Tim jumped on Superboy's back, holding a fist full of concussion pellets. Tim shoved them in Superboy's face, as they burst with a concussive blast. This blew Tim back a few feet, falling of Superboy's back and onto the floor. He looked back up to see Superboy still stunned by the multitude of concussive blasts. Static was also stunned by the blast. Tim wasn't, however, as the lenses in his cowl provided protection against the effects of concussive pellets. He looked down at his right hand, noticing that his glove and most of his gauntlet had been blown off in the blast. His hand had suffered only minor burns thanks to his armor. He looked back up towards the computer, reminding himself of his goal.

Tim thought he could take this opportunity to get to the computer and activate the incineration process. He lifted himself up and stumbled a bit before rushing towards the computer, hoping he had enough time to activate it. However, before he got to the computer, he saw Superboy's eye beams pass through the computer screen, destroying it in the process. Superboy then flew towards Tim and tackled him against the wall yet again. He punched Tim in the face, knocking him towards the ground. Tim looked back up towards Static and saw that he was rushing over to help him.

"No! Find Westbrook! Take him out and shut Superboy down!" Tim shouted.

Static looked at them both, as Superboy raised Tim up to finish him off.

"Go!" Tim yelled.

Superboy prepared his eyes yet again, as he planned to finish Tim off once and for all. He raised Tim up to eye level, about to beam two holes into his head. Tim wanted to put a fight, but his body wouldn't let him. He felt weak, as his body was starting to give out due to the numerous injuries. He knew he couldn't last much longer. Tim looked dead into his vacant red eyes, facing on what he thought was his inevitable death. Suddenly a loud crash came from above. Both Superboy and Tim looked up to witness what had happen. Hovering above them was Wonder Girl, ready for a fight.


	5. Somewhere

Chapter 5- Somewhere

Virgil ran through the halls of the N.O.W.H.E.R.E complex, not sure where to go. He had somewhat remembered the way around the complex, but wasn't quite sure. He had been wheeled off to numerous experiments around the complex, but he was heavily sedated on the trips there. He only saw fragments of where he was going. Beast Boy wasn't much help either, as he had no knowledge of the lay out of the complex.

"Do you have any idea where you're going?" Beast Boy asked.

"Kinda. I mean I remember a little bit of it, like the way out, but not of Westbrook's office," Static replied.

"Great, how are we going to find this place then."

"I don't know. But we got to do it quick, before Superboy kills Red Robin."

They explored a bit more. Beast Boy had turned into a bloodhound, which had helped a little, but the complex was large and Westbrook's scent was fading. They could have been running in circles for all they knew. They needed to hurry up, though, as Virgil felt that Red Robin couldn't hold out much longer against something like Superboy.

* * *

><p>"Let him go!" Wonder Girl shouted.<p>

Superboy looked at her with his vacant stare, analyzing the situation. He took a quick glance at Tim and then back at Wonder Girl. She didn't hesitate this time, as she flew towards Superboy at top speed. Before she could grab him though, Superboy threw Tim at her, impacting her and sending them both to the ground. They both laid on the ground for a moment, but Wonder Girl got a glimpse of Superboy speeding toward them. She shoved Tim out of the way just in time, but Superboy grabbed her instead, slamming her into a wall. She kicked him off her, sending him back a few feet. She sped towards him and punched him square in the face, sending him back even further. She grabbed him by the shoulder and continued to punch. She then put both hands on his head, readied herself, and thrust her knee into his face, sending him flying across the room and into the wall. She panted for a moment, but remembered that Tim was hurt. She hurried over to him.

"Tim!" She exclaimed.

She lifted him off the ground, being careful about his injuries. She wrapped his left arm around her shoulder, supporting his weight.

"Didn't I say to wait for the signal?" Tim asked.

"The alarms went off on the whole complex. I thought that was the signal," She replied.

"Oh…well that works too."

"Yeah, it was good timing too. I think I just saved your life."

"Heh…I could have handled it," he said, as a sharp pain stung in his side yet again. He clenched his side and winced. Cassie gave him a cautious look.

"Tim, you're hurt. We need to get you out of here."

"No, not yet. I need to destroy this lab."

Suddenly, Superboy sped towards them, knocking Tim down and tackling Cassie into the wall behind them. She tried to maneuver out of his hold, but she didn't realize how strong he was. She kicked and punched him countless times, but he didn't seem to flinch. After some resistance, Superboy slammed her into the wall, this time grabbing her by the head. He slammed her again, looking down at her. She was still resisting. He slammed her again, but she continued to put up a fight. He slammed her once more into the wall. He looked down to see no resistance, as she appeared to be unconscious. Suddenly, Superboy felt a batarang hit his head.

"Hey asshole!" Tim shouted. "You want to fight? Let's fight then."

Superboy tossed Wonder Girl aside and focused his attention on Tim. While Cassie was fighting off Superboy, Tim had fashioned a makeshift sling from his cape. He had hoped that would ease some of the pain from his ribs, as he knew he had to face down Superboy yet again. Tim equipped himself with his bo staff and readied himself in a fighting stance. Superboy sped towards him. Tim ducked out of the way in time and flung another batch of concussive pellets his way, disorientating Superboy for a moment. He then swung his bo staff, hitting him in the face. Although Tim knew that that wouldn't do much, it was still a way to buy some time for Static to shut him down, or for Cassie to get back up.

* * *

><p>Virgil and Beast Boy ran as fast as they could through the complex, but they still couldn't find the master control center or Westbrook.<p>

"This is hopeless," Beast Boy said.

"We can't give up, BB. We need to keep looking," Static said.

Suddenly a flash of yellow and red sped past them. They were confused at what they had just seen.

"You saw that right?" Beast Boy asked.

After a few moments the flash of colors came back, only this time, it stopped right before them, appearing to be a boy in a yellow and red costume similar to the Flash's.

"Who are you guys?" The boy asked.

"Uhhh…who are you?" Beast Boy replied.

"I'm Virgil and this is Gar," Virgil interjected. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm Kid Flash. Look, I'm trying to find my friends. You know where they are?"

"You mean Red Robin? He's back in a lab fighting Superboy," Virgil replied.

"Super-what now?"

"Uhh…nevermind. Look we need your help. I'm guessing you run fast. Can you help us look for this guy? His name is Westbrook. He's in the master control center. If we don't stop him then…uh…Superboy's going to kill Red Robin," Virgil said.

"Alright…? Back in a flash."

"Wait you're going to need this," Virgil said, as he tossed Kid Flash a key card.

"Thanks," Kid Flash replied. He sped off down the hall.

Bart was going at lightning speed. He went through every hallway, opening the doors with the swipe of the card, speeding through the room, and moving on to the next all in a matter of seconds. He finished sweeping five hallways in the span of around 30 seconds, searching all the rooms looking for something that resembled a main control room. He sped through the entire complex with no avail. He ran into several security guards on the way, but it took no effort for him to knock them out with a speedy punch. He sped from room to room, going faster and faster, but still no luck. After a few more seconds of searching he finally came across a door that had the words 'Command Center' labeled at the top. He slid the key card, but it didn't unlock the door. Bart paused for a moment and then slid it again. Nothing happened. He slid it multiple times at super speed, but still nothing was happening. Apparently, this room needed a higher security clearance to access. Bart cursed, but then thought of another way that might work. He tossed the card, and instead held his fist in front of the card slot. He speed punched the machine about a thousand times, short-circuiting the door mechanism. The door slid open to reveal three guards positioned by the door and an older man wearing a lab coat.

"Are you that Westbrook guy?" Bart asked.

"Kill that brat!" Westbrook yelled towards the guards.

"Guessing that's a yes."

The guards lifted up their guns, ready to fire. Bart gave them a snide look and then proceeded to do what he did best. Time felt like it slowed around him, as Bart could see the flurry of bullets headed his way. He motioned past them as they were approaching, dodging every bullet as if they were piercing through quicksand. He ran towards the closest guard and grabbed his gun. He pointed the gun towards the ground and then swiftly brought the gun back up, causing the stock of the gun to smack the guard right in the jaw. He then ran towards the next guard. This time, Bart grabbed the gun and thrust the stock into the guard's abdomen. He then tossed the gun aside and punched him in the face, knocking the guard back. Bart then quickly ran over to the last guard, punching him straight in the face. He did all of this before the bullets could even impact the wall behind him. Bart then looked at his masterpiece, admiring what he had accomplished in a matter of seconds.

"Pretty cool right?" Bart said.

"You little runt!" Westbrook shouted.

"Well, that's rude."

Bart zipped towards Westbrook and delivered a devastating blow to the head, knocking him to the ground. He quickly scanned the room, before rushing out the door and down the halls to find Virgil. He ran through the hallways as fast as he could, knowing he was on the clock. He flashed through the complex until he ran into Static and Beast Boy, who were caught in a fight between some of the guards.

"No time for that" Bart said as he spun around in a vortex around Static and Beast Boy, delivering speed punches to the guards they were fighting.

"Come on. I found the place with the guy and the thing."

Bart grabbed the two of them and sped towards the command center, basically dragging them behind him. After about 5 seconds they were suddenly there at the master control room where most of the complex was controlled by.

"Alright so now what?" Bart asked.

Static went to the computer system and examined it. There were multiple screens projected on the wall and the whole system seemed to be intricate and complex. Static knew that he couldn't hack this in time to save Red Robin. He was decent at hacking, but wasn't good enough or fast enough. He had to think quickly. He looked down at his sparking hands and suddenly realized the quick and easy solution.

"Here goes nothing."

* * *

><p>Tim looked into those red beading eyes, noticing the vacant stare of his opponent. He tightened his grip on his bo staff and shifted to a battle stance which favored his left side. He had fought Superboy enough to know that he knew that Superboy would charge at him with his flight. Tim just had to make sure that he could take advantage of that. As predicted, Superboy flew towards Tim at an alarming speed. Tim timed it in his mind. He held for a quick second, then flipped over Superboy and delivered a fierce blow to his head with his trusty bo staff. Superboy crashed into the wall, and Tim landed on his feet, still feeling the pressure of his wounds working against him. He knew he couldn't pull something like that off again and he knew he was slowly running out of physical options. He could only buy some time before something went his way.<p>

Superboy regained himself and sped towards Tim yet again. This time he wasn't fast enough to dodge his incoming attack. Superboy punched Tim in the left shoulder, spinning him around. Before Tim could regain himself, he felt Superboy's hand on his head. He threw Tim across the room to the broken computer console. He lifted himself off the ground, trembling under the pain. _Don't black out, _he thought to himself. Superboy slowly walked up towards Tim, his eyes blaring red. Tim looked at him dead on, knowing that this was probably the end for him. Superboy inched closer as Tim clawed for the remainder of his batarangs. Tim lifted his hand up ready to throw, waiting for the right opportunity. He felt as if he could barely hold his arm up, but he remained unflinching as Superboy continued forward with hands clenched.

"Let's finish this," Tim said in a firm voice.

Suddenly, the power to the complex shut off instantly. After a couple of seconds, the back up generators kicked in and the rooms were filled with red lights flashing. Tim looked over at Superboy who fell to his knees. He was screaming in pain as he clenched his head. Static had shocked the system that ran the whole complex, including Superboy. The hard shut off seemingly cut the ties between Superboy's mind and the internal network for the facility, which caused the chip in his head to fry.

Tim lowered his arm as he saw Superboy was in serious pain. He approached slowly towards Superboy, not knowing what he was doing. Suddenly, Cassie flew in and punched Superboy in the face, sending him into the wall.

"Jeez, Cassie!" Tim exclaimed.

"Sorry, sorry. Instinct I guess. At least it shut him up," Cassie remarked.

Suddenly a loud beeping sound came on across the facility and a voice came on the intercom.

"5 minutes until facility wide data sanitization."

Tim gave a quick glance at Cassie and then to Superboy. He knew that they had to quickly leave before the entire facility went up in flames.

"We have to leave. Now." He told Cassie. "Grab him."

"What? He tried to kill us!"

"We don't have time to argue. Just do it."

Tim reached for his communicator and tried to contact Bart.

"Bart, are you there?" Tim asked.

"Yeah, yeah I know. Place is about to go boom. We'll be there in a sec." Bart replied.

Tim wobbled toward the lab entrance. As he made his way there, he saw that Deathstroke and Rose had disappeared. He cursed under his breath, but realized he didn't have time to mull it over. He peered around and saw that Caitlin was still unconscious. In a split second, Bart appeared followed by Static and Beast Boy.

"Bart, grab her." Tim said as he pointed towards Caitlin. "Let's move"

The teens ran through the facility as fast as they could. The timer was counting down faster now, as there were only minutes left until the N.O.W.H.E.R.E facility ceased to exist. Cassie led them to where they broke into the facility, a hatch on the side of cliff. Apparently the facility was in a mountainside as to avoid general detection. They made their way out and down the mountain when suddenly they felt the earth shake beneath their feet. Cracks started to form in the mountain, and it felt like the earth was sinking in on itself.

"We need to move!" Tim yelled.

Tim grabbed Cassie's hand as she leaped into the air, carrying both him and Superboy. Beast Boy had turned into a pterodactyl and grabbed Static by the shoulders. Bart sprinted as fast as he could away from the mountain, carrying an unconscious Caitlin on his back. They all escaped the mountain before the destruction hit. Tim turned and looked at the mountain, as it crumbled and crashed into itself. It was like a whirlpool of dirt and rock swirling on top of one another, devouring the base underneath. _Good riddance, _Tim thought as the teens flew away from the destruction.

* * *

><p>-Two Days Later-<p>

Cassie, Bart, Gar and Virgil all stood in front of Tim's warehouse. They walked into the desolate warehouse looking for the entrance to the secret bunker underneath.

"Which support beam was it? Bart, do you remember?" Cassie asked.

"Nope." Bart replied.

Suddenly, the ground started to rumble, as the floor separated to reveal a staircase going down to the lower level. The teens walked down into Tim's bunker. They saw that he was sitting at the computer, re-bandaging his torso.

"Ahem."

"Hey guys." Tim said as he was finishing bandaging his wounds. He saw that Virgil and Gar were a bit taken aback, as he didn't reveal his identity to them yet. "Oh, sorry. Guess I didn't introduce myself. I'm Tim Drake. Or Red Robin, as you've come to know me as."

"Nice to finally meet you." Virgil remarked holding out his hand for a handshake.

"Likewise." Tim shook both Virgil's and Gar's hand. "Where's Caitlin?"

"She left to go be with her dad. Apparently he's a scientist or something. I don't know." Bart replied.

"Alright, then. I guess we should probably discus what happened." Tim said.

"What's to talk about? We escaped. We stopped the bad guys. We won." Cassie replied.

"We escaped, yes, but we didn't stop them. Not for good anyway. I've been doing some research. It's most likely that the facility we managed to take down was only one of many. How many I don't know." Tim explained.

"Wait, you're saying the one we took down wasn't the only N.O.W.H.E.R.E facility. That there's more of them out there?"

"I'm not 100% sure. But the research I have done has led me to believe so. Look, I know that this might not be the best news, but we did take down a major cog in their system."

"But there's more of them out there! They could be continuing the work that that freak Westbrook was doing. They could be making more Superboy's for all we know!" Cassie protested.

"Hey, what the hell ever happened to that Superboy thing anyway?" Bart questioned.

"He's... He's over there."

* * *

><p>The group of teens entered what looked like a medical center. In the back end of the room, Superboy laid on the medical bed. Wires and tubes were hooked up to him as computer monitors showed his heart rate and breathing.<p>

"He's still knocked out?" Virgil asked.

"Yeah, ever since we left the facility." Tim replied.

"We…we should have left him there." Cassie said with a falter in her voice.

"We couldn't just leave him Cassie. He was being used by Westbrook. He didn't deserve to die because of that."

"Tim, he was going to kill you! …Kill all of us. He's a weapon. One that should have been destroyed."

"Yeah, I kind of agree." Gar added.

"You and Virgil are basically him. It's just that you two weren't being controlled."

"Yeah, but we don't have Superman's powers. We can't kill the whole world if we wanted to. He can." Virgil interjected.

Suddenly a blip went of on the monitors. His heart rate had spiked.

"Uhhh, hey guys? I think the weapon is waking up." Bart said.

Superboy flickered his eyes. He moaned slightly as he started to reach toward his head with his left hand. The others started to back away slowly, not knowing what to expect from the guy who almost killed them. Superboy rubbed his head and squinted at the lights.

"Ughhh, where am I?"

* * *

><p><strong>Note: Yeah, so that's the end of the first arc of the story. What I have planned so far is to have the next couple of chapters be about the team on some downtime, then after that will be another big story. Sorry for not being consistent with the chapters. I only write them when I have time or feel like writing, so they are pretty sporadic. It'll probably stay that way also. So, sorry again, but thanks for keeping up with it and I hope you enjoy it.<strong>


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